A large crew from the waterfowl conservation group Ducks Unlimited was in the Port Clinton area this week to help dedicate a new 40-acre patch of marsh at the Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area, praise the marsh programs around Northwest Ohio and get together with the top folks at the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

And hunt ducks, of course.

The annual session always includes a trip to one or two of the many of the prestigious waterfowl hunting clubs in the region. Spirits are usually very high. Early November is duck hunting time around "The Bay," Ohio's traditional waterfowling country.

But not this year.

Ducks continue to be in very short supply, except for the off-limits Muddy Creek Bay resting area. The Lake Erie Zone goose season had ended on Nov. 4.

Blame it on the weather.

Whether you subscribe to global warming or the vagaries of an Ohio autumn, the bitter winter winds have yet to push the big flocks of mallards, blacks, gadwall, pintails, bluebills and widgeon to Northern Ohio. When temperatures are in the 50s and 60s and the wind isn't ruffling a feather on a duck's back, don't expect the birds to bother visiting the Buckeye State until they're forced out of the North Country.

It's always good to visit with Gildo Tori of DU, the former head of waterfowl management for Ohio. A straight-talking sportsman, he is a main manager at DU's Ann Arbor office and keeps abreast of Ohio issues. Also on hand was Heather Braun, a waterfowl biologist and marsh expert who has helped Ohio marsh owners to manage their marsh properties, and create new ones.

John Murphy, the Cleveland-area waterfowl hunter who is Ohio's DU chairman, was ready to bag a duck. Murphy is the long-time banquet chairman for the West Cleveland Chapter of DU and helps organize the annual Waterfowl Symposium in Port Clinton.

An early morning adventure with John Vallance at the Oak Lane Duck Club on the Portage River was supposed to be a duck hunt. It turned into an eagle watch, with only my young black Labrador retriever, Bluebelle, making a splash. You can't keep a frisky Lab out of the water for very long.

The next morning we joined Paul Rofkar, the marsh manager at Rusk's Marsh, a private waterfowling paradise on Sandusky Bay. The knowledgeable young waterfowl hunter wasn't puzzled by the lack of ducks, just dismayed the season is getting such a late start.

The wildlife managers try to set the dates to keep the marsh hunters happy, which means an early start to the season. This year's waterfowling began on Oct. 20, a few days later than usual, but it didn't help a bit as Mother Nature refused to kick an early fuss and send along the nasty weather that reminds the ducks they must head south.

Maybe they'll show up next week, when the majority of Ohio hunters are getting ready for the beginning of the deer gun season around Ohio.

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